Izanagi Union
The Izanagi Union'' (Japanese イザナギ組合),'' commonly referred to as the Union or simply the IZU, is a federal republic consisting of 21 states and a federal district. The 19 contiguous states and the Ashland Federal District are situated along the eastern coastline of Izanagi stretching further inwards, and occupy around 1/4 of the continent in total. The states of Konpeki and Archipelago are island chains in the Eastern Ocean between the continents of Izanagi and Uzume. Izanagi borders numerous countries, most notably the nations of Nahari, Rodina and Grenzland in the Northeast, the remnant plethora of micronations formed from the breakup of the former Nansei Izanagi colony of South Aizumi in the mid-southeast, and the nations of Ōarai and Manazuru to the south. The Izanagi Union is considered to be the most diverse nation on Inari, an aggregate American, European, and Japanese cultural groups formed through peaceful annexation of territories in the early years of colonization. Because of this diversity, the Union is divided even at the governmental level in the form of a unique tricameral legislative body in which both the North and South of the country recieve their own population-representative lower houses in the Union legislature. The Union was originally born out of the early federalization efforts of the six American colonies founded on land given to them by the Fujinese Empire in the late 23rd century that eventually spread to include the European colonies and the foundation of the Izanagi Federation in 2304. The IZF assumed its modern form and name during the Nansei Izanagi War in the early 25th century that resulted in its acquisition of most of Uzume's Nansei Izanagi colonies in the southwest of the continent. The IZU is a developed country and has Inari's second largest national economy with an estimated GDP of $11 billion USD, fueled by bountiful natural resources and high worker productivity. The large economy and natural resource abundance of the IZU give it the highest average household income on the continent and the second highest in the world. Etymology The continent of Izanagi on which the IZU resides was first sighted by arriving Japanese colonists as they scouted the world from orbit. After initial mapping of the massive continent was complete, crewmember Taichi Yamada proposed the name "Izanagi" after the shinto kami that fathered the islands of Japan in Japanese mythology. Upon the arrival of American and European colonists almost 70 years later, the numerous Japanese colonists and their descendants had already claimed the entirety of the planet, but awarded the mountainous northwest of the continent to the colonists to allow them to establish their own nations and cultures. By the late 2270s, the now-established colonies and nations founded by the American settlers began to draw closer economically and only a decade later talk of unifying under a central government began to circulate. Newspapers, for lack of originality began running articles on the possibility of the formation of the "West Izanagi Federation" that simply stuck in the minds of people and lawmakers alike, culminating in the official formation of the Izanagi Federation in 2291. History Geography, Climate and Environment Demographics Population Government and Politics Military The IZU maintains the second-largest military in the world, only beaten by the massive Han'ei confederacy in size and technological abilities. Crime and Law Enforcement Economy Infrastructure Science and Technology Education Health Culture See Also